Showing posts with label Sao Luis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sao Luis. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Brasil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here are some key highlights from today's win:
1) Starting the day drinking carpirnhas at 10:30am
2) The amazing Brazil gear we got from the local bar
3) Two words: Alcohol to-go
4) Three words: two to one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Feliz aniversario Madá

Saturday June 12 was Madeline's birthday. It also happened to be Dia dos Namorados (Valentine's Day) in Brazil. We left the hotel at 1pm not knowing that we would stay out for the next 12 + hours. The day started at a feijoada- traditional brazilian cuisine with live samba (see video). A few hours and caipirinhas later we wandered into a bar to watch the USA v England match.

After the tie (which was more like a win for the US as it was a lucky goal)
we decided to keep the party going. We met up with 15 of Manuella's single friends and completely took over one of their favorite restaurants. All around us couples were trying to have romantic dinners while we sang, laughed and drank. The running joke was that the manager offered to pay our entire tab if we would leave. The beer did not stop flowing, every time our glasses were near empty they would magically be refilled. I never heard anyone ordering more yet there were no complaints. The more we drank the funnier the jokes got and the louder we became not your typical V-day. I can't remember the last time I laughed so har
d, ironic being that I do not speak the common language at the table.

Just when we thought the night was ending after a 6 hour dinner, Manuella decided to stop by another party to say hello to some other friends. 20 minutes later Mads and I were off to a reggae show with our new found friend Manuella' s neighbor, Ulysses. São Luis is well known as the Jamaica of Brazil. Since Mads loves reggae and she is the birthday girl, we were not going to let the looming 6 am wake up call stand in our way. It was a surprisingly great show, we danced non-stop to the band Raiz Tribal at a cool beachside venue.

All in all it was very long and randomly amazing day. Mads says it was one of her best birthday celebrations, and we both agree it was a phenom Valentine's Day!



Monday, June 14, 2010

Não Falo Português

''A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.'' – Lao Tzu

Madeline and my 11 week journey started in San Diego on Wednesday, June 9th. My backpack, which I remember being MUCH bigger than it actually is, was half the size of Madeline's, yet the combined weight of all my belongings closly matched hers (Mads backpack - 38lbs + handbag - 7lbs = 45lbs / my ''mini backpack'' (as Mads has deemed it) - 26lbs + carryon backpack - 15lbs = 41lbs).
The flight to Brazil was quite hellish. Rather than bore all you with the details I will give the top three reasons: 1) there was a group of about 40 Southern Christian missionaries that thought it acceptable to yell accross the aisles/rows at one another during the entire flight; 2) they did not give us pillows.... Really what inteternational flight does not give pillows!?! 3) the lady in front of us would turn around and complain any time we accidently touched her seat. It got to be quite comical how lightly we could tap it and she would still turn and yell at us. After sleeping a combines total of about 3 hrs in the 15hr trip we landed in Fortaleza, Brazil. Unfortunately that was not our last stop, we still had a 4hr wait until our flight to our final destination, São Luís. We were so exhausted, I honestly did not know how we were going to make it. Then, as if it was a mirage in the desert, I laid my eyes on the most magical sight..... La-Z-Boy recliners!!! We took the most amazing naps and woke just as we were about to board.


The first few days of our trip were spent visiting Madeline's friend Manuella in São Luís. a small beach town in Northeast Brazil. It was an interesting introduction to the country as it is not typically what you invision when you think of ''typical Brazil'', but it has been great having a local take us around to the best beaches, restaurants, nightclubs, etc... At the beach one day I actually ate crab! I know you're shocked. Madeline claims she is going to break me of my non-seafood diet if it kills her. If she lives and is successful you can all thank her later.


The hardest thing about being in such a small town is very few people speak English even most of Manuella's friends spoke only Portuguese so I had to rely on Madeline/Manuella and the few key phrases I learned to get around. After a few days I find that I am able to understand a decent amount thanks to Spanish but I am still far from speaking. This is what I can say from memory thus far (day 5):
obrigada- thank you
não falo portugu ês- I don't speak Portuguese
com licença- excuse me
beijo- kiss
duas cervejas/chopp- 2 beers/draft beer
cadê o banheiro- where is the bathroom
estou com fome/ sede- I am hungry /thirsty
sim- yes / não- no
tchau (pronounced ciao) - goodbye
oi (pronounced oy) - hello
bom dia- good morning